Method and apparatus for requesting a channel measurement report in wireless communication systems

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for requesting a ChannelMeasurementReport in a wireless communication system are described. A ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageID field set to “0x07”, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier on which the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein the StartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where access terminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein the MeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to be included in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested field wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number of measurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved field is generated and transmitted over a communication link.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present Application for Patent claims priority to ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/731,126 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROVIDING MOBILE BROADBAND WIRELESS LOWER MAC”, filed Oct. 27, 2005,assigned to the assignee hereof, and expressly incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, andmore particularly to methods and apparatus for requesting a ChannelMeasurement Report.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems have become a prevalent means by which amajority of people worldwide have come to communicate. Wirelesscommunication devices have become smaller and more powerful in order tomeet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience. Theincrease in processing power in mobile devices such as cellulartelephones has lead to an increase in demands on wireless networktransmission systems. Such systems typically are not as easily updatedas the cellular devices that communicate there over. As mobile devicecapabilities expand, it can be difficult to maintain an older wirelessnetwork system in a manner that facilitates fully exploiting new andimproved wireless device capabilities.

Wireless communication systems generally utilize different approaches togenerate transmission resources in the form of channels. These systemsmay be code division multiplexing (CDM) systems, frequency divisionmultiplexing (FDM) systems, and time division multiplexing (TDM)systems. One commonly utilized variant of FDM is orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM) that effectively partitions the overallsystem bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. These subcarriersmay also be referred to as tones, bins, and frequency channels. Eachsubcarrier can be modulated with data. With time division basedtechniques, each subcarrier can comprise a portion of sequential timeslices or time slots. Each user may be provided with a one or more timeslot and subcarrier combinations for transmitting and receivinginformation in a defined burst period or frame. The hopping schemes maygenerally be a symbol rate hopping scheme or a block hopping scheme.

Code division based techniques typically transmit data over a number offrequencies available at any time in a range. In general, data isdigitized and spread over available bandwidth, wherein multiple userscan be overlaid on the channel and respective users can be assigned aunique sequence code. Users can transmit in the same wide-band chunk ofspectrum, wherein each user's signal is spread over the entire bandwidthby its respective unique spreading code. This technique can provide forsharing, wherein one or more users can concurrently transmit andreceive. Such sharing can be achieved through spread spectrum digitalmodulation, wherein a user's stream of bits is generated and spreadacross a very wide channel in a pseudo-random fashion. The receiver isdesigned to recognize the associated unique sequence code and undo therandomization in order to collect the bits for a particular user in acoherent manner.

A typical wireless communication network (e.g., employing frequency,time, and/or code division techniques) includes one or more basestations that provide a coverage area and one or more mobile (e.g.,wireless) terminals that can transmit and receive data within thecoverage area. A typical base station can simultaneously transmitmultiple data streams for broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast services,wherein a data stream is a stream of data that can be of independentreception interest to a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal within thecoverage area of that base station can be interested in receiving one,more than one or all the data streams transmitted from the base station.Likewise, a mobile terminal can transmit data to the base station oranother mobile terminal. In these systems the bandwidth and other systemresources are assigned utilizing a scheduler.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodimentsin order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments,and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of allembodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in asimplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented later.

The signals, signal formats, signal exchanges, methods, processes, andtechniques disclosed herein provide several advantages over knownapproaches. These include, for example, reduced signaling overhead,improved system throughput, increased signaling flexibility, reducedinformation processing, reduced transmission bandwidth, reduced bitprocessing, increased robustness, improved efficiency, and reducedtransmission power.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for requesting aChannelMeasurementReport in a wireless communication system, the methodcomprising generating a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest messagecomprising an 8 bit MessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein thePilotPN field is set to the PilotPN of the sector requesting themeasurement report, a 2 bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID fieldis set to the carrier on which the measurements are requested, a 40 bitStartPHYFrame wherein the StartPHYFrame is set to the frame number ofthe PHYFrame where access terminals are required to being measurements,a 3 bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is set to thenumber of channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage fieldwherein the MeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurementsto be included in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total numberof measurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved fieldand transmitting the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message over acommunication link.

According to another embodiment, a computer readable medium is describedhaving a first set of instructions for generating aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to thePilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved fieldand a second set of instructions for transmitting theChannelMeasurementReport request message over a communication link.

According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus operable in a wirelesscommunication system is described which includes means for generating aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to thePilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved fieldand means for transmitting the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest messageover a communication link.

According to yet another embodiment, a computer readable medium isdescribed having a first set of instructions for receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to thePilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved fieldand a second set of instructions for responding with aChannelMeasurementReport message.

According to yet another embodiment, a method for providing informationis described, the method comprising receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message in a wireless communicationsystem, the method comprising receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is interpretedas the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is interpreted as thecarrier on which the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFramewherein the StartPHYFrame is interpreted as the frame number of thePHYFrame where access terminals are required to being measurements, a 3bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is interpreted asthe number of channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessagefield wherein the MeasurementsPerMessage determines the number ofmeasurements to be included in one report message, an 8 bitNumMeasurementsRequested field wherein the NumMeasurementsRequesteddetermines the total number of measurements to be made by accessterminal and a 4 bit Reserved field and responding with aChannelMeasurementReport message.

According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus operable in a wirelesscommunication system which includes means for receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is interpretedas the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is interpreted as thecarrier on which the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFramewherein the StartPHYFrame is interpreted as the frame number of thePHYFrame where access terminals are required to being measurements, a 3bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is interpreted asthe number of channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessagefield wherein the MeasurementsPerMessage determines the number ofmeasurements to be included in one report message, an 8 bitNumMeasurementsRequested field wherein the NumMeasurementsRequesteddetermines the total number of measurements to be made by accessterminal and a 4 bit Reserved field and means for responding with aChannelMeasurementReport message.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreembodiments comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrativeembodiments of the one or more embodiments. These embodiments areindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of various embodiments may be employed and the describedembodiments are intended to include all such embodiments and theirequivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates embodiments of a multiple access wirelesscommunication system.

FIG. 2 illustrates embodiments of a transmitter and receiver in amultiple access wireless communication system.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate embodiments of superframe structures for amultiple access wireless communication system.

FIG. 4 illustrate embodiment of a communication between an accessterminal and an access network.

FIG. 5A illustrates a flow diagram of a process used by access network.

FIG. 5B illustrates one or more processors configured for requesting aChannelMeasurementReport.

FIG. 6A illustrates a flow diagram of a process used by access terminal.

FIG. 6B illustrates one or more processors configured for receiving aChannelMeasurementReport

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of one or more embodiments. It may be evident, however,that such embodiment(s) may be practiced without these specific details.In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, a multiple access wireless communication systemaccording to one aspect is illustrated. A multiple access wirelesscommunication system 100 includes multiple cells, e.g. cells 102, 104,and 106. In the aspect of FIG. 1, each cell 102, 104, and 106 mayinclude an access point 142, 144, and 146 that includes multiplesectors. The multiple sectors are formed by groups of antennas of a basestation each responsible for communication with access terminals in aportion of the cell. In cell 102, access point 142 has sectors 102 a,102 b, and 102 c. In cell 104, access point 144 has sectors 104 a, 104b, and 104 c. In cell 106, access point 146 has sectors 106 a, 106 b,and 106 c.

Each cell includes several access terminals which are in communicationwith one or more sectors of each access point. For example, accessterminals 132 a-132 d, 134 d, and 136 e are in communication with basestation 142, access terminals 134 a-132 e are in communication withaccess point 144, and access terminals 136 a-136 e and 134 c are incommunication with access point 146.

Controller 130 is coupled to each of the cells 102, 104, and 106.Controller 130 may contain one or more connections to multiple networks,e.g. the Internet, other packet based networks, or circuit switchedvoice networks that provide information to, and from, the accessterminals in communication with the cells of the multiple accesswireless communication system 100. The controller 130 includes, or iscoupled with, a scheduler that schedules transmission from and to accessterminals. In other embodiments, the scheduler may reside in eachindividual cell, each sector of a cell, or a combination thereof.

As used herein, an access point may be a fixed station used forcommunicating with the terminals and may also be referred to as, andinclude some or all the functionality of, a base station, a Node B, orsome other terminology. An access terminal may also be referred to as,and include some or all the functionality of, a user equipment (UE), awireless communication device, terminal, a mobile station or some otherterminology.

It should be noted that while FIG. 1, depicts physical sectors, i.e.having different antenna groups for different sectors, other approachesmay be utilized. For example, utilizing multiple fixed “beams” that eachcover different areas of the cell in frequency space may be utilized inlieu of, or in combination with physical sectors. Such an approach isdepicted and disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/260,895, entitled “Adaptive Sectorization In Cellular System.”

Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an embodiment of a transmittersystem 210 and a receiver system 250 in a MIMO system 200 isillustrated. At transmitter system 210, traffic data for a number ofdata streams is provided from a data source 212 to transmit (TX) dataprocessor 214. In an embodiment, each data stream is transmitted over arespective transmit antenna. TX data processor 214 formats, codes, andinterleaves the traffic data for each data stream based on a particularcoding scheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot datausing OFDM, or other orthogonalization or non-orthogonalizationtechniques. The pilot data is typically a known data pattern that isprocessed in a known manner and may be used at the receiver system toestimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data foreach data stream is then modulated (i.e., symbol mapped) based on one ormore particular modulation schemes (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK, or M-QAM)selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The datarate, coding, and modulation for each data stream may be determined byinstructions performed on provided by processor 230.

The modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a TXprocessor 220, which may further process the modulation symbols (e.g.,for OFDM). TX processor 220 then provides NT modulation symbol streamsto NT transmitters (TMTR) 222 a through 222 t. Each transmitter 222receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or moreanalog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, andupconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitablefor transmission over the MIMO channel. NT modulated signals fromtransmitters 222 a through 222 t are then transmitted from NT antennas224 a through 224 t, respectively.

At receiver system 250, the transmitted modulated signals are receivedby NR antennas 252 a through 252 r and the received signal from eachantenna 252 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 254. Eachreceiver 254 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) arespective received signal, digitizes the conditioned signal to providesamples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding“received” symbol stream.

An RX data processor 260 then receives and processes the NR receivedsymbol streams from NR receivers 254 based on a particular receiverprocessing technique to provide NT “detected” symbol streams. Theprocessing by RX data processor 260 is described in further detailbelow. Each detected symbol stream includes symbols that are estimatesof the modulation symbols transmitted for the corresponding data stream.RX data processor 260 then demodulates, deinterleaves, and processeseach detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the datastream. The processing by RX data processor 218 is complementary to thatperformed by TX processor 220 and TX data processor 214 at transmittersystem 210.

RX data processor 260 may be limited in the number of subcarriers thatit may simultaneously demodulate, e.g. 512 subcarriers or 5 MHz, andsuch a receiver should be scheduled on a single carrier. This limitationmay be a function of its FFT range, e.g. sample rates at which theprocessor 260 may operate, the memory available for FFT, or otherfunctions available for demodulation. Further, the greater the number ofsubcarriers utilized, the greater the expense of the access terminal.

The channel response estimate generated by RX processor 260 may be usedto perform space, space/time processing at the receiver, adjust powerlevels, change modulation rates or schemes, or other actions. RXprocessor 260 may further estimate the signal-to-noise-and-interferenceratios (SNRs) of the detected symbol streams, and possibly other channelcharacteristics, and provides these quantities to a processor 270. RXdata processor 260 or processor 270 may further derive an estimate ofthe “operating” SNR for the system. Processor 270 then provides channelstate information (CSI), which may comprise various types of informationregarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. Forexample, the CSI may comprise only the operating SNR. In otherembodiments, the CSI may comprise a channel quality indicator (CQI),which may be a numerical value indicative of one or more channelconditions. The CSI is then processed by a TX data processor 278,modulated by a modulator 280, conditioned by transmitters 254 a through254 r, and transmitted back to transmitter system 210.

At transmitter system 210, the modulated signals from receiver system250 are received by antennas 224, conditioned by receivers 222,demodulated by a demodulator 240, and processed by a RX data processor242 to recover the CSI reported by the receiver system. The reported CSIis then provided to processor 230 and used to (1) determine the datarates and coding and modulation schemes to be used for the data streamsand (2) generate various controls for TX data processor 214 and TXprocessor 220. Alternatively, the CSI may be utilized by processor 270to determine modulation schemes and/or coding rates for transmission,along with other information. This may then be provided to thetransmitter which uses this information, which may be quantized, toprovide later transmissions to the receiver.

Processors 230 and 270 direct the operation at the transmitter andreceiver systems, respectively. Memories 232 and 272 provide storage forprogram codes and data used by processors 230 and 270, respectively.

At the receiver, various processing techniques may be used to processthe NR received signals to detect the NT transmitted symbol streams.These receiver processing techniques may be grouped into two primarycategories (i) spatial and space-time receiver processing techniques(which are also referred to as equalization techniques); and (ii)“successive nulling/equalization and interference cancellation” receiverprocessing technique (which is also referred to as “successiveinterference cancellation” or “successive cancellation” receiverprocessing technique).

While FIG. 2 discusses a MIMO system, the same system may be applied toa multi-input single-output system where multiple transmit antennas,e.g. those on a base station, transmit one or more symbol streams to asingle antenna device, e.g. a mobile station. Also, a single output tosingle input antenna system may be utilized in the same manner asdescribed with respect to FIG. 2.

The transmission techniques described herein may be implemented byvarious means. For example, these techniques may be implemented inhardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For a hardwareimplementation, the processing units at a transmitter may be implementedwithin one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices(DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed toperform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. Theprocessing units at a receiver may also be implemented within one ormore ASICs, DSPs, processors, and so on.

For a software implementation, the transmission techniques may beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. The software codes may be storedin a memory (e.g., memory 230, 272 x or 272 y in FIG. 2) and executed bya processor (e.g., processor 232, 270 x or 270 y). The memory may beimplemented within the processor or external to the processor.

It should be noted that the concept of channels herein refers toinformation or transmission types that may be transmitted by the accesspoint or access terminal. It does not require or utilize fixed orpredetermined blocks of subcarriers, time periods, or other resourcesdedicated to such transmissions.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, embodiments of superframe structures for amultiple access wireless communication system are illustrated. FIG. 3Aillustrates embodiments of superframe structures for a frequencydivision duplexed (FDD) multiple access wireless communication system,while FIG. 3B illustrates embodiments of superframe structures for atime division duplexed (TDD) multiple access wireless communicationsystem. The superframe preamble may be transmitted separately for eachcarrier or may span all of the carriers of the sector.

In both FIGS. 3A and 3B, the forward link transmission is divided intounits of superframes. A superframe may consist of a superframe preamblefollowed by a series of frames. In an FDD system, the reverse link andthe forward link transmission may occupy different frequency bandwidthsso that transmissions on the links do not, or for the most part do not,overlap on any frequency subcarriers. In a TDD system, N forward linkframes and M reverse link frames define the number of sequential forwardlink and reverse link frames that may be continuously transmitted priorto allowing transmission of the opposite type of frame. It should benoted that the number of N and M may be vary within a given superframeor between superframes.

In both FDD and TDD systems each superframe may comprise a superframepreamble. In certain embodiments, the superframe preamble includes apilot channel that includes pilots that may be used for channelestimation by access terminals, a broadcast channel that includesconfiguration information that the access terminal may utilize todemodulate the information contained in the forward link frame. Furtheracquisition information such as timing and other information sufficientfor an access terminal to communicate on one of the carriers and basicpower control or offset information may also be included in thesuperframe preamble. In other cases, only some of the above and/or otherinformation may be included in this superframe preamble.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the superframe preamble is followed by asequence of frames. Each frame may consist of a same or a differentnumber of OFDM symbols, which may constitute a number of subcarriersthat may simultaneously utilized for transmission over some definedperiod. Further, each frame may operate according to a symbol ratehopping mode, where one or more non-contiguous OFDM symbols are assignedto a user on a forward link or reverse link, or a block hopping mode,where users hop within a block of OFDM symbols. The actual blocks orOFDM symbols may or may not hop between frames

FIG. 4 illustrates communication between an access network 404 and anaccess terminal 402 according to an embodiment. The access network 404sends a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 to the accessterminal 402 using a communication link 406. The communication link maybe implemented using communication protocols/standards such as WorldInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), infrared protocols suchas Infrared Data Association (IrDA), short-range wirelessprotocols/technologies, Bluetooth® technology, ZigBee® protocol, ultrawide band (UWB) protocol, home radio frequency (HomeRF), shared wirelessaccess protocol (SWAP), wideband technology such as a wireless Ethernetcompatibility alliance (WECA), wireless fidelity alliance (Wi-FiAlliance), 802.11 network technology, public switched telephone networktechnology, public heterogeneous communications network technology suchas the Internet, private wireless communications network, land mobileradio network, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband codedivision multiple access (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunicationssystem (UMTS), advanced mobile phone service (AMPS), time divisionmultiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA),orthogonal frequency division multiple (OFDM), orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA), orthogonal frequency division multipleFLASH (OFDM-FLASH), global system for mobile communications (GSM),single carrier (1×) radio transmission technology (RTT), evolution dataonly (EV-DO) technology, general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanceddata GSM environment (EDGE), high speed downlink data packet access(HSPDA), analog and digital satellite systems, and any othertechnologies/protocols that may be used in at least one of a wirelesscommunications network and a data communications network.

The access terminal 402 is configured to receive aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 and the access network 404is configured to transmit a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408to the access terminal 402 using the communication link 406. TheChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 is sent by the accessnetwork 404, to request a ChannelMeasurementReport from one or moreaccess terminals (such as the access terminals 120 x of FIG. 1). TheChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 comprises a MessageID field,a PilotPN field, a CarrierID field, a StartPHYFrame field, a NumChannelsfield, a MeasurementsPerMessage field, a NumMeasurementsRequested fieldand an optional Reserved field.

The access network 404 generates the ChannelMeasurementReportRequestmessage 408. For example, the PilotPN field is set to the PilotPN of thesector requesting the measurement report, CarrierID field is set to thecarrier on which the measurements are requested, the StartPHYFrame isset to the frame number of the PHYFrame where access terminals arerequired to being measurements, the NumChannels field is set to thenumber of channel to be measured, the MeasurementsPerMessage determinesthe number of measurements to be included in one report message, whereinthe NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number of measurementsto be made by access terminal. The access network 404 may incorporatethe ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 into a data packet 410.In another embodiment, the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest 408 may betransmitted without being incorporated into a packet. The data packet410 comprises header information that indicates whether that data packet410 contains the Redirect message 408. The data packet 410 istransmitted on a communication link 406 using one or more channels.

The access terminal 402 is configured to receive data packets 410 on acommunication link 406, one of which may comprise theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408. Various methods may be usedto extract the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 from acommunication link 406. For example, once the access terminal 402 hasextracted the data packet 410 from one of the channels of thecommunication link 406, the access terminal 402 may check the headerinformation of the data packet 410 to determine if the data packet 410comprises the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408. If so, thenthe access terminal 402 extracts the designated bits for MessageIDfield, PilotPN field, CarrierID field, StartPHYFrame field, NumChannelsfield, MeasurementsPerMessage field, NumMeasurementsRequested field andan optional Reserved field.

FIG. 5A illustrates a flow diagram of process 500, according to anembodiment. The access network (such as the access network 404 of FIG.4) is configured to implement process 500 by transmitting information toone or more access terminals (such as the access terminal 402 of FIG.4). At 502, a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message is generated (suchas the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4) comprisingan 8 bit MessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPNfield is set to the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurementreport, a 2 bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set tothe carrier on which the measurements are requested, a 40 bitStartPHYFrame wherein the StartPHYFrame is set to the frame number ofthe PHYFrame where access terminals are required to being measurements,a 3 bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is set to thenumber of channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage fieldwherein the MeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurementsto be included in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total numberof measurements to be made by access terminal and an optional 4 bitReserved field and at 504, the ChannelMeasurementReportRequest messageis transmitted over a communication link.

FIG. 5B illustrates use of one or more processors to carry out themethodologies 500. The processor referred to may be electronic devicesand may comprise one or more processes configured to generateChannelMeasurementReportRequest message. Processor 552 is configured togenerate a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message (such as theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4) comprising an 8bit MessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field isset to the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved field.Processor 554 is configured to transmit theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message over a communication link. Thefunctionality of the discrete processors 552 to 554 depicted in thefigure may be combined into a single processor 556. A memory 558 is alsocoupled to the processor 556.

In an embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for generating aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message (such as theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4) comprising an 8bit MessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field isset to the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved. Theapparatus further comprises means for transmitting theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message over a communication link. Themeans described herein may comprise one or more processors.

FIG. 6A illustrates a flow diagram of process 600, according to anembodiment. The access terminal (such as the access terminal 402 of FIG.4) is configured for receiving information from one or more accessnetworks (such as the access network 404 of FIG. 4). At 602, aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message is received (such as theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4), wherein theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 comprises an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to thePilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved field.At 604, a ChannelMeasurementReport message is responded.

FIG. 6B illustrates use of one or more processors to carry out themethodologies 500. The processors referred may be electronic devices andmay comprise one or more processors configured to receiveChannelMeasurementReportRequest message. Processor 652 is configured toreceive a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message (such as theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4), wherein theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 comprises a an 8 bitMessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is setto the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved field.Processor 654 is configured to respond with a ChannelMeasurementReportmessage. The functionality of the discrete processors 652 to 654depicted in the figure may be combined into a single processor 656. Amemory 658 is also coupled to the processor 656.

In another embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message (such as theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 of FIG. 4), wherein theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message 408 comprises a an 8 bitMessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is setto the PilotPN of the sector requesting the measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to the carrier onwhich the measurements are requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to the frame number of the PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to being measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to the number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines the number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequested fieldwherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines the total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal and a 4 bit Reserved field.The apparatus further comprises means for responding with aChannelMeasurementReport message. The means described herein maycomprise one or more processors.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,firmware, middleware, microcode, or any combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the programcode or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in amachine readable medium such as a separate storage(s) not shown. Aprocessor may perform the necessary tasks. A code segment may representa procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, asubroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination ofinstructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment maybe coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passingand/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed,forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other embodiments. Thus, the description is not intendedto be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

1. A method of requesting a ChannelMeasurementReport in a wirelesscommunication system, characterized in that: generating aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to aPilotPN of a sector requesting a measurement report, a 2 bit CarrierIDfield wherein the CarrierID field is set to a carrier on which themeasurement is requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of a PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to begin measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to a number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and transmitting theChannelMeasurementReportRequest message over a communication link.
 2. Anon-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions storedthereon, characterized in that: a first set of instructions forgenerating a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bitMessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is setto a PilotPN of a sector requesting a measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to a carrier on whichthe measurement is requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of a PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to begin measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to a number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and a second set ofinstructions for transmitting the ChannelMeasurementReport requestmessage over a communication link.
 3. An apparatus operable in awireless communication system, characterized in that: means forgenerating a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bitMessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is setto a PilotPN of a sector requesting a measurement report, a 2 bitCarrierID field wherein the CarrierID field is set to a carrier on whichthe measurement is requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of a PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to begin measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to a number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and means for transmittingthe ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message over a communication link.4. A method of receiving a ChannelMeasurementReportRequest message in awireless communication system, characterized in that: receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to aPilotPN of a sector requesting a measurement report, a 2 bit CarrierIDfield wherein the CarrierID field is set to a carrier on which themeasurement is requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of a PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to begin measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to a number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and responding with aChannelMeasurementReport message.
 5. A non-transitory computer readablemedium including instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: afirst set of instructions for receiving aChannelMeasurementReportRequest message comprising an 8 bit MessageIDfield, a 12 bit PilotPN field wherein the PilotPN field is set to aPilotPN of a sector requesting a measurement report, a 2 bit CarrierIDfield wherein the CarrierID field is set to a carrier on which themeasurement is requested, a 40 bit StartPHYFrame wherein theStartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of a PHYFrame where accessterminals are required to begin measurements, a 3 bit NumChannels fieldwherein the NumChannels field is set to a number of channel to bemeasured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field wherein theMeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and a second set ofinstructions for responding with a ChannelMeasurementReport message. 6.An apparatus operable in a wireless communication system, the apparatuscomprising: means for receiving a ChannelMeasurementReportRequestmessage comprising an 8 bit MessageID field, a 12 bit PilotPN fieldwherein the PilotPN field is set to a PilotPN of a sector requesting ameasurement report, a 2 bit CarrierID field wherein the CarrierID fieldis set to a carrier on which the measurement is requested, a 40 bitStartPHYFrame wherein the StartPHYFrame is set to a frame number of aPHYFrame where access terminals are required to begin measurements, a 3bit NumChannels field wherein the NumChannels field is set to a numberof channel to be measured, an 8 bit MeasurementsPerMessage field whereinthe MeasurementsPerMessage determines a number of measurements to beincluded in one report message, and an 8 bit NumMeasurementsRequestedfield wherein the NumMeasurementsRequested determines a total number ofmeasurements to be made by access terminal; and means for respondingwith a ChannelMeasurementReport message.